Hooray, we went on a vacation! My gift this year was to organize the flight, hotel, entertainment, and child care for a quick getaway birthday trip. It's been 3 1/2 years since the last time we left the kids for more than a single night. About time for another break, wouldn't you say?

Why on earth would I choose Chicago in January, such a bitter cold and windy destination? HAMILTON. That's why! Ben really wanted to see the musical when it was in Denver, but like every other Colorado citizen without connections (thank you Amanda!), was unable to get tickets. So I'm making up for that with this trip. It'll be the final event of the week before flying home Saturday morning.

With the kids in the capable and loving hands of Grandma Betty and Grandpa Rick, we enjoyed a quick airplane jump to the Second City.

We arrived at the hotel early afternoon and decided to relax with a movie. With our date night movie habits we've seen nearly everything out there already. Ben was trying to talk me into the Hindi movie Simmba. Luckily I found a convenient showtime for a movie we had missed: The Green Book. Here we are feeling bad for cheating on the Alamo Drafthouse.

The Green Book was very good, exceeding my expectations. A thought provoking historical story with incredible performances. It gave us a lot to talk about afterward.

Having had snacks all day, we descended on Pizzeria Uno for some Chicago deep dish. Ben claimed to hate deep dish pizza, harboring bad feelings from previous dining encounters with the iconic dish. Pointless with a soggy bottom, to sum up his criticism. I urged him to give it another try and think of it as pizza lasagne.

Well done, Chicago, you changed his mind! Or maybe we were just that hungry. But Ben said it was delicious, and Mary Berry would agree that there were no soggy bottoms.

We spent most of today enjoying the treasures in the Art Institute. I'd never been to this museum during my previous two visits to Chicago. They have so many wonderful pieces! I was only slightly disappointed in that Nighthawks was on loan to another museum.

Dragon for Sam

We decided to skip the usual overpriced cold sandwiches found in museum cafes. I had seen a couple locations around town for Nando's peri-peri chicken.

Have you ever been cold and tired and hungry, then sat down at a warm table with delicious food? Soooo satisfying.

Now well-fortified, we admired the Bean from the street as we went back to the museum. We amped up our pace and managed to take in most of the other half of the art galleries. With a laugh we decided to "take a peek" and the paperweights and "miniature rooms" collection on the lower level. The paperweight exhibit was a head scratcher, as in, what makes these worthy of a dedicated space in this otherwise top tier museum? The miniatures, on the other hand, were delightful! I wonder if there's a book about their creator, because you have to be at least a little kooky to do what she did.

I dragged an exhausted Ben to the only yarn store in the city. Yarnify was adequate for supplies but nothing outstanding. Their shop was lacking in charm, and they didn't seem to care about presentation of yarns or samples. Still, I got a beautiful green skein from a local maker as a souvenir.

After a quick respite at the hotel we walked to Gyu-Kaku for dinner. It's a chain restaurant with over 600 locations in Japan. They bring you assorted meats to grill right at your table. I was pleased to find that it doubled as a hand warmer. Very toasty!

Michigan Avenue still has its lovely Christmas lights on display. We ambled up to the historic Water Tower and passed some time shopping (including Uniqlo for slippers-who decided hard floors were a good idea in our hotel room? My tootsies are too cold for that!).

Right across the street we found the Lookingglass Theatre, where we saw The Steadfast Toy Soldier. Amanda raves about this company and I can see why. It was a charming retelling of the Hans Christian Anderson story. They performed mutely, all in pantomime with a four musicians playing the score. We loved the toddler child puppet. They absolutely nailed the physicality, giving us fits of laughter. At 60 minutes run time, I was utterly charmed and left wanting more. I wish there was a company like this in Denver that I could share with my boys.

Time to indulge in some ice cream and hot fudge at Ghiradelli's. I came prepared with ample lactase. I hope ;-)

Today was a wandering day. We started off shopping near our hotel. We went into Bloomingdales to admire the building and a helpful (probably bored) sales associate told us all about its history as a Shriners theater. More poking around at the Water Tower mall, nothing too special. Ben got himself a new watch, hopefully a good replacement for his beloved Pebble smartwatch that went off the market years ago. It's the successor model, with the same dev team but now under the Fitbit brand. A nice birthday present to himself!

We had lunch at the John Hancock Signature restaurant with a table overlooking Lake Michigan. The service was terrible but the views spectacular. I made sure to check out the women's restroom for their famous panoramic view as well.

Neither of us had walked down Navy Pier before, so we gave it a go. It was funny how all the kids and families congregated there. It was touristy, as we had been warned, but pleasant and clean. it was eerie how still and scentless the lake was, my brain expected waves and salt air when I gazed on it.

Next stop was the Chicago Cultural Center. It's attached to the public library and houses some public art galleries. The art was disappointing, currently an exhibit of kids artwork. But we were really there for the breathtaking mosaics and mosaics by Tiffany Glass.

Next we walked through Millennial park for kicks. Gotta admire the bean up close. Here's a picture to show the kids why I bought this weird Christmas tree ornament.

Having not eaten in over an hour (outrageous!) I suggested the Nutella cafe. You can't really go wrong with Nutella, though I smiled smugly when Ben confirmed that my liege waffles taste better.

We still had a few hours before the show, we hunted down the entrance to the pedway, an underground tunnel for walkers. Basically subways tunnels without a subway. If I lived here I totally utilize the pedway instead of the cold streets above. Even on a balmy day like today, where it got up to the 40s.

We killed time in the Block 37 mall and Latinicity food court until showtime. We felt like we'd done pretty everything on our list for the trip, except the final show.

And what a show! I expected a newer theater, but this one had that historic, decorative, and tightly packed style that you find in NYC. Our seats were outstanding. The talent incredible. I really loved our Hamilton, he was very short, hot-headed, and scrappy, with a lovely deep voice. Our Lafayette couldn't do a French accent, but killed it as Jefferson. Mulligan/Madison was also great. Eliza sounded just like the OBC album. King George played it more silly than I'd seen before. I think I prefer a restrained humor, but Ben loves him. What I love most about the show is the choreography. It's a shame that you can only experience that in the live show. Same for the lights and energy and powerful music rumbles and punches your body. An amazing way to end the trip.

Oh, after we got Portuguese custard tarts. Had to go back to Nando's to try them, since GBBO raves about them. Delish. Not as good as a thin slice after a show a la New York, but pretty good.

I'm so proud of the progress that Sam is making in Kindergarten.  I discovered him reading his new scholastic book for the first time, all by himself!

Jack has had some great events lately. His "Magic Car" did well in the Pinewood Derby.

He came in 2nd or 1st of every heat. He came in 8 out of 22 cars in the final rankings. We told him to take out the cars which were likely made by the parents, and he probably placed in the top 3 ;-)

As a third grader he got to compete in the spelling bee. He was in the top of his class in preliminaries, so he got to do the school-wide bee. He did great on the first round (spelling your own name), passed the second round ("tiptoe"), then got tangled up on the third round with "artistic." Poor guy got pretty upset but pulled himself together to receive his medal.

The bee was TORTURE for me to watch as a parent. Most of the kids messed up because of nerves. They all clearly knew how to spell the words (including Jack), they just misspoke or their tongue got tangled. Some kids had to leave immediately with heaving sobs. "A very very nice beginning" it is not, Putnam County! Still, I was very proud of him. Learning to fail is just as important as learning to win.

 

 

Yum!

(Nimbus trying to get Jack to feed her dinner early using her powers of telepathy)

The kids liked it so much, they wanted to teach Ben and play more after dinner. Sam graduated to playing his own hand. Nimbus, now satiated, kept watch from her perch.

We had another winter storm in Arvada.  By the time school ended we had enough snow to go sledding, something we don't do often enough!  In fact, the kids were mostly clueless.  I had to teach them how to load onto the sled and keep the weight in the back, and use your legs to brake.

They did a couple runs together, then Sam accidentally took off without Jack.  He went down all by himself without realizing it!  Then Jack did a fast run by himself - so fast that he blasted onto the parking lot and knocked Sam clean off his feet.  Sam laughed it off, but after the next run he was out of energy and warmth (he wasn't alone, my hands were freezing and the heater in my gloves ran out of battery!).

[video src="/uploads/2019/02/VID_20190206_162938.mp4" height="1080" width="1920"][/video]

 

It will come as no surprise that the Mason family thoroughly enjoyed the latest Lego movie release. One boy dressed as Emmet and the other one brought Emmet (on half a double-decker couch with Plantie).

It was not nearly as good as the first. Which we rewatched last night in preparation. The first Lego Movie was a masterpiece. (We are totally raising movie nerds. Jack and Sam sit through credits in theaters and marathon forerunners to sequels before seeing the latest. They BOTH use terms like parody and storyline and take note of actors from other movies.)

This evening we completed the circle of commercialism. Toys-movie-toys-movie-toys...

At least I made them use their own allowance to purchase the sets. Sigh. We have so many many Lego sets. And yet...I find myself perusing the Florida Legoland Resort website later that day. We are all fanatics.

I got a really bad cold last week and have been limping through life, trying to shake it off. Lots of rehearsals and meetings and class party preparation to get through, but somehow I made it. The kids had a blast at their valentines parties today. Ben got me flowers and chocolates and beautiful earrings. I got him beef jerky :-) (He said he didn't want anything!) Now he's taking the kids to the gym to exercise and play, while I relax under a fuzzy blanket, looking forward to sleeping now that my nose is a little less congested.

They also gave themselves code names and had us guess them. It only took a couple hints for me to uncover "Green Thunder" and "Blue Panther."

After six months of reading aloud, Jack and I finished the fourth Harry Potter book, the Goblet of Fire. We celebrated by watching the movie in our home theater last night.

Jack was so excited. We had popcorn, of course, but also lemon sherberts for Dumbledore, and jack brought down Harry and Snape minifigs and his Hedwig puppet.

Condensing the enormous book into a single movie was quite a feat. Jack enumerated the many elements that they left out. He was most disappointed that we didn't get to meet Pigwidgeon, the tiny owl given to Ron. But overall he really liked the movie and handled the darker parts of the story without trouble.

This was an essay assignment in class. I think Jack has a knack for persuasive arguments.

Though his spelling and punctuation need work :-)

"I think kids should get more recess because sometimes our brains get fried. It makes it hard to think but recess lets us calm down. Another reason is vitamin D. Vitamin D comes from sunlight which we need to survive. My final reason is that we need to be active, according to our gym teacher, Mr. Buelter. We need to be active 1 hour per day. Our recess barely meets that! As you can see we need more recess."

Yesterday I had a wonderful, low-key, happy birthday. Ben took the day off of work to take over my "mom" duties. We watched one of my favorite movies (Thor Ragnorok) and went out to lunch at Yak and Yeti Indian buffet. I got a massage while he picked up the kids and had a parent-teacher conference. We had burgers for dinner and then some friends came over for cake and ice cream. I got many wonderful and thoughtful presents and many well wishes from friends and family. It was pretty much perfect :-)

Jack had an exciting scout meeting tonight's. After the Blue and Gold Banquet ceremonies ended they had a visit from Canyon Critters. He was really great with the kids, full of educational information about animal care, responsibilities, nature stewardship, and boogers and poop.

I realized that my snapshots summary didn't capture a major part of January and February: musical rehearsals! With Amanda working in the metro area, and rehearsals scheduled during the school day, I've been able to come a couple times a week most weeks.

Obviously I don't take photos during rehearsals, I never have. But this week I had some footage amanda took for the kids to review, and I realized I could screenshot it and remove the kids faces. So here you go, a glimpse into one of my part time jobs. This is our tenth consecutive year working together on a musical!

Ben has an infamous story about a pencil injury when he was a boy.  He told this story to Sam for the first time and Sam thought it was HILARIOUS.  He declared that he must draw the scene immediately.

I found the drawing later and, without context, was perplexed about its subject.  Ben explained the reference, and then I LOVED the picture.

So for your enjoyment, I had Sam re-tell the pencil story in his own words.  Listen to the tale, and then you can see the illustration below.

 

 

 

The kids are twins today for spirit week. Perhaps the only duo who wanted to match down to their socks and undies!

My "bake element" caught on fire and corroded last week. I've already replaced the circuit board on this oven, about a year after we moved in to this house. So I'm no stranger to appliance repairs. A couple YouTube videos assured me that I was capable of this job.

$70 and a half week of no baking, waiting for shipping, and I have a working oven again! It took less than a single podcast to switch them out.

I was having second thoughts about whether the element really needed resolving. But when I put them side by side, and found a crack that easily split open, I was reassured that it really needed replacing.

I'm going to make Cornish pasties to celebrate!

Here's the kids after sledding Sunday afternoon. Red cheeks and hot chocolate:

An author, Todd Mitchell, came to Jack’s class and inspired him to write some poetry.  He wrote this after school and asked that I shared it. (I copy/pasted it from his own word document, the typing and style is his own).

 

Inside me

Inside me live  1000 earths that live of all the suns.

Inside me are 100,000,000,000,000 fish that eat the Earths.

Inside me are some molecules,  that rap all day long.

Inside me are these grins, they jump on any frowns that cross my face.

Inside me there’s a tiger,who takes over when i’m mad.

With all these things inside me, i get very tired. So, please excuse me while I take nap.

They canceled school Wednesday and today. Yesterday's storm was legit awful, but I think they were crazy canceling today. Our area has power and clear roads. It must be the result of a large school district, needing to cancel all for certain areas who are worse off.

We snuck into the library yesterday morning before the storm really unleashed.  Brought home a giant bag of books to last the day.

Today's school closure felt silly for Arvada.  Oh well.  We all slept in and had a slow start to the day.  Then I mustered the kids into some house cleaning and homework, a Target run, and a quiet time play session upstairs while I worked.

Jack's latest long piano piece is Hedwig's Theme aka the Harry Potter song.  He's had it for two weeks.  With the snow days, he put in several extra practice sessions to polish it.

After practicing for a bit, he came up and told me how he wishes his classroom keyboard at the music school had all the same functions as ours, because he likes to use different settings for Hedwig's theme.

He said he uses "skeefy" for the first pages, then switches to dulcimer.  I asked him to spell skeefy, and he did: "sci-fi" . We had a good laugh.

I took some video of his latest performance:

At least he corrected the spelling.

Today we honored Brian with dinner at Teller's Taproom, our old neighborhood trivia bar. Ben also gave the kids each a Transformer we saved from Brian's collection. They were really into them this time (previously the Transformers have been to difficult for them to play with).

We met up with all the Waterhouses in Salt Lake City for the first weekend of Spring Break.  The kids were excited to see Andy and Jenn's house ("we've never been there!" they whine at me every other day).  I also wanted them to see some church history sights, and it's always great to get the family together. It was rainy all weekend but we managed to stay mostly dry.

We walked through Temple Square and looked at the remodeled Church History Museum.  It's quite different than the one I remember!  The kids enjoyed the treasure hunt for different watches throughout the exhibits.  There was also an art exhibit that had some absolutely wonderful works.

 

I have a lot of pictures from our visit to Dreamscapes.  It's a walk-through interactive art exhibit.  The kids loved it!

 

We braved heavy rains, and then thick snow, to get to the natural history museum on the University of Utah campus.  They had an excellent dinosaur display.

Ben and I and Amanda had some quiet time in the afternoon, but grandparents were going strong.  They took the kids to Tracy Aviary, with a special tour by Jenn who used to work there.  They talked about the birds the whole way home, it must have been a great visit!

Our last night we had dinner at the Arndt's home.  Martha arranged to have all us Waterhouses and Masons, plus the whole Arndt family, and most of the Cook family clan too!  We haven't had such a large group of Cook family descendants together for a long time.  I saw Martha snapping pictures, you'll have to check with her for the evidence :-)

The magic of forwarding brought me the family pictures.  Enjoy!

The rest of the week was pretty boring, in a good way. We took care of Amanda's new kitty until she got back from Salt Lake. We went bike riding, got stacks of books from the library, worked on Sam's polar bears research project, etc. Ben and I had a fantastic dinner at The Spice Room on Friday night (we don't ALWAYS go to the Alamo for dates ;-) I'm still Salivating over their naan and samosas. Today was a long Sunday at home with hyper boys. I'm so so glad we are back to school tomorrow.

I never cared for this holiday, but little boys look forward to it more than Thanksgiving.  So I tried to help them celebrate the day.

Last night we tried to switch the boys in their beds while they slept.  But they both woke up wide-eyed when we lifted them, so we aborted the plan.  Laughing, we put them back in their normal beds.  This morning neither kid had any recollection about the disturbance.  We should have pushed on!

Jack and I froze a bowl of cereal and milk and served it to Sam this morning.  He was almost too sleepy to understand he was being pranked. "My spoon is stuck!" He exclaimed.  He caught on quickly and, after his real bowl of cereal, pried out his spoon and ate his "ice cream cereal." Gross.

After school I helped Sam to color the bathroom sink aerator, so Jack got surprised with colored water.

On the drive home from school, the kids asked me, as usual, if I baked cookies today.  "No, but I made brownies!"  "Yesssss!"  They inhaled the chocolatey smell when we got inside.  I made them wash up while I poured milk, then served them brownies:

Sam was understandably concerned that he wouldn't be getting any real stuff :-D  See, even harmless pranks are not any fun!  I should show them this video as evidence.  They were excited to repeat the prank on Ben tonight.

Jack's Cub Scout den started their "bear claws" unit about knife safety. Jack used Ben's knife for the introduction meeting. The next day he brought home a work-up for his ideal knife:

The local stores were fresh out of fire-cat diamond blades. He's pretty pleased with the blade they found.

Sam's kindergarten class has a sign-up to be the Mystery Reader on Fridays. Ben took a turn and brought in King Bidgood's in the Bathtub. I suggested he wear full costume and Ben happily agreed. Heads were turning as he strode into the school. Sam's teacher reported to me that the children were agog at his majesty and all enjoyed his reading performance.

 

Sam continues to be creative with the boundaries of writing text.

Today I got to be the Mystery Reader for Sam's class. This time I let Sam in on the secret and he picked the book Chewie and the Porgs to read. Of course, our stuffy Chewbacca and Porg had to join me on the visit! The kids all took turns holding Chewie and pushing the Porg's belly to make him squawk.

In the book they find some "Blue Puff Cubes" on their ship to eat. I made a batch of blue marshmallows for the kids, which they loved.

Sam spent a good week pouring over the latest LEGO catalogue.  For some reason, this Carnage/Spider-man set had captured his heart.  He slept with the catalogue, ate his lunch while looking at it, until the Carnage page was tattered.  We told him he could spend his saved allowance on the set, and he began counting down the days until Saturday, when I had promised to take him to the LEGO store.

Last weekend was the musical performance, The Lion King Jr.  This school really goes all out with sets and costumes.  It's amazing to have such supportive parents help with the production.  The kids did great.  I would have loved to have had a few days of intensive dance clean-up.  But given how little time I spent with then reviewing and teaching, I'm very proud of these kids.

We had a fun Easter weekend.  Between swim lessons and Lion King performances we were able to squeeze in some egg dying and a trip to see Missing Link.

Easter morning the kids had their egg hunt.  It was more aggressive and competitive than ever before.   Church was very nice, and I didn't have any meetings, which is always a plus.  I spent the afternoon making a full Easter dinner - rolls, green beans, deviled eggs, strawberries, a ham adorned with pineapple rings and cherries, and a bakewell tart for dessert.  The kids said dinner was good, although they had had so much candy that they didn't have much of an appetite.  It'll be ham again for dinner tonight!

 

You better believe we were there Friday night, cheering at Avengers: Endgame along with everyone else.

I loved every second.  So fun, so satisfying, so surprising, and so cool to be a part of this historic movie event.  And I got to do it with a plate of shawarma, because the Alamo is awesome like that.

Putting away Sam's art box, I noticed he still has a strong favorite color.

Meet the newest member of our family - Freddy!

When we were looking for Nimbus, we considered getting two cats at once.  We never completely dropped that idea.  It'd be nice for the cat to have a companion, when we travel or are away at school and work.  But we got Nimbus and she's great!  She's such a perfect cat.  Why mess up the family dynamics and add another?

Every so often I'd look and find new adorable cats on shelter websites, and send the links to Ben.  He'd rebuff and I'd agree, no second cat.  Then the next week he would send me some cat links, and we would go back and forth like this for months.

Friday morning Ben showed me that Foothills Animal Shelter had a large number of new cats in, and he wanted to go see a few.  Sure, sounds fun!  I had no intention of actually getting a cat, just thought it would be fun to look together, to remind ourselves that we don't need a second cat.

One of the little guys we met was "Felix," a 9-10 month old kitten.  He was shy at first, but opened up soon.  He showed us he was very loving and playful.  He was exactly what I would want - a small short-hair cat who wants tons of cuddling and is younger than Nimbus.  Nimbus doesn't really snuggle with anyone except me during the mornings and Jack in bed at night.  Ben wished he had a buddy to share a warm lap.  On top of it all, Jack has been stating his favorite cats are orange cats for a while now.  I agree, besides calicos and blue russians, they are top cuties.

Well, let's put a hold on him, I said.  We'll sleep on it.  I told the kids after school that we were looking at a cat and they got very excited to get another.  I had evening plans, but offered to take the boys down to meet him real quick.  Ben said, why not just get him instead?  So we did!  Armed with our carrier, the boys met Fred and he was just as sweet with them as before.  We all wanted him, so why wait?  (Why?? Cause this isn't how I do things!!  I'm very meticulous and planning, I had no intention to get a cat this very weekend! I am still smothering these thoughts).

While doing to adoption paperwork I found out that he was surrendered for litterbox problems.  He was checked out by the vet and has no related medical problems, and showed normal litter usage while at the shelter.  Hmmm.  Molly had some litter problems that we dealt with, but I had vowed never to get a cat with litter problems again.  Yet here I was, with a giddy Jack literally bouncing with excitement and telling me how cute he is, and Ben sending me the photo on the left from the back room, all while I try to talk to the shelter staff.  I pushed ahead with the adoption and hoped the litter problems were temporary.

We've had him about 24 hours and he's been a perfect litter box user.  Multiples times, doing all manner of business in there.  I hope it was something related to the previous home and we don't have a problem here. (Knock on wood/fingers crossed).  Well, he does have some stinky farts.  So did Nimbus, until we tried some different food brands and fixed it that way.  We'll have to work on that later.

Speaking of Nimbus, she heard me pouring Fred his first meal and stood outside the door.  Fred came over and they investigated each other through the crack.  We'll give them a few days apart before trying any face to face meetings.  (While I write, the boys reported that Fred stuck his paw out under the door, startling Nimbus out from the hall.)

Sam came up with the name Freddy as we drove to the shelter, when he read a sign for Freddy's Steakburgers.  I thought it suited him perfectly!  Ben liked it too, and Jack came on board after a little more discussion.  We like a lot of Freds - Fred Rogers, Freddie Mercury, Freddy from Shazam, Fred Weasley, Freddy Honeychurch . . . and it just suits him, you know?

So that's my story!  Unexpectedly big weekend for the Masons :-D  Welcome, Freddy!

When I was a kid I thought it would be so cool to have my letter published in a magazine.

Here's Ben, living the dream:

The cats are still living in separate quarters.  Believe me, I'd LOVE to open the doors and be done with it.  Freddy had me up all night, either playing loudly, or attacking my feet, or trying to sleep on my neck.

There's been a lot of this - cuddling with one cat, then letting the other one smell it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freddy got to spend almost an hour exploring the boys' room with the door shut.  I turned around to bring Nimbus up to inspect his space, but she was already there!  Certainly curious.

Yesterday Nimbus was finally ok with eating outside the door from Freddy.  She still hisses at him if he comes right up to the door while she is out there.  But at least she's eating near him now.  I read that that's a positive step forward.  We'll do some more space swapping and then maybe in a few days I can let them co-exist.

The boys made a space ship for the cats to share.  They used it separately.  Maybe someday they'll share it :-)

Yesterday I propped the doors open with these old door hooks that we got when Sam was a baby. There was much cat-posturing between the gap, but Nimbus eventually ate her dinner, knowing Freddy was watching nearby.

This morning, around 5 AM, Nimbus stood at the gap, hissing and growling up a storm - true to her name. I think she was trying to make clear her social dominance. At 5 AM. For twenty minutes. Sigh.

This evening we gave Nimbus her wet food dinner in our room, where Freddy has been staying. With her locked away, Freddy got to explore the main floor. He was visibly shocked when we brought him down, that there was more house to explore! We kept a close eye on him while we had dinner. So far he's been a perfect litter box user, but I'm still nervous to let him roam the house unsupervised.

After an hour or so I checked on Nimbus and was pleased to see she ate all her dinner while in enemy territory. She even calmed down enough to do some grooming and faux-napping at my feet.

Tomorrow we might try having them downstairs together. For a limited time.

Freddy wants to be friends SO BADLY.

They are both doing pretty good. Freddy is cautious and submissive. Nimbus is hissy and wary but not outright attacking.

We actually have a rich and varied life aside from our cats ;-)

Tonight was Jack's spring recital.  He was very nervous and unhappy with his performance.  But I think he did great!  It's so difficult to perform in front of people.  I'm proud of him for playing tonight.

We celebrated by going to Dairy Queen with his friend Dylan, who had a sister playing tonight too.

 

I forced the boys to join me in my annual Mother's Day photos. Not bad!

Ben is out of town. I arranged for dinner and a movie at home. Freddy is desperate to eat pizza.

The end of the school year means lots of projects being shared and brought home, and lots of events to attend. Thursday was a triple whammy (plus piano lesson!). I went to the community fair and the student-led conferences.

Bounce houses at the fair:

The kids loved showing off their work to me.

They boys earn many points during the year for good behavior and are trying to spend them all. Jack's favorite prize is to have lunch with the teacher. Sam always chooses to bring a stuffy to school for the day. I didn't even know there were other choices until I saw this poster in his classroom:

I think these choices are hilarious! A pen for a day - wow!

That same day we went to the scouts year end picnic, where Jack officially advanced to Webelos. They had a hot dog dinner, then skits and s'mores.

Jack's third grade class has been studying native Americans for their last social studies unit. So today we went to Tocabe to try some authentic fry bread and wojapi sauce. Delicious!

oh my gosh...

You guys...

It's happening!!!

My hard work has paid off!! In two weeks they have gone from hissing constantly to cuddle neighbors. I predict by next winter they will be snuggle buddies!

The second to last day of school, I'm sitting in the parking lot, waiting to pick up the boys, when I get this message from Sam's Kindergarten teacher:

"Your son may have had a little too much fun this afternoon! You’ll see soon! Sorry..."

Hoo-boy, can't wait, I replied.

She was very apologetic and swears she would have stopped him, but he was very fast. I don't doubt it. Ah well. Here's hoping those markers are washable! What a way to end the school year.

Not so washable.

And feeling a lot less coy after a brisk bath scrub.

Saturday we celebrated Jack's 9th birthday by playing mini-golf with friends!  This was the first time we held the party away from the house, with a smaller group of friends.  It was a total success!  Adventure Golf gave us a wonderful experience.

Cake time, and then presents and goodie bags were passed around.  For the last half hour the kids took ice cream vouchers to concessions for a soft-serve treat, then played in the Mine Maze until parents arrived.  No tears - even from Jack!  It was a slam dunk party.  (Especially with all the snow and rain this May, right up until Thursday we were wearing heavy coats!  But Friday and Saturday were sunny and warm, just perfect).

Sam and Jack wanted to bring balloons home for the kitties.  Freddy had a good time.

Despite the hectic weeks with new cats, school ending, and a birthday party to host, we have been shopping for a new car.  My little Nissan finally needed some significant work (new struts), giving me just cause to replace it.  We've been wanting a minivan for years.  Ben and I did deep research into SUVs, crossovers, and all the available minivans on the market.  Then we had to locate a car on the market that best matched the features we wanted.  After hours of reading, looking, driving, and haggling, we took home the perfect new car!

A Chrysler Pacifica Touring Plus.  It has a heated steering wheel for me and a DVD player for the kids.  It has power doors and a back-up camera - these are pretty standard nowadays but a total luxury for me!  We wanted cloth seats and the easy to stow flat bucket seats in the back.  I love being in a higher position on the road and having SO MUCH ROOM.  Sam is finally able to buckle himself into his booster seat because in my old car it was too cramped and squashy for him to reach.

               

I quickly added some minivan essentials: trash bag suspended from the front arm rests, and a tennis ball to help park in the garage.  Some things can't be improved upon with technology ;-)

              

Ben took a picture of my old car side by side as we were leaving.  They low-balled a trade-in offer, so we're going to figure out selling it after life calms down a little more.

I looked back in my blog to the last time I got a new car.  Might as well update the timeline:

Sometimes I feel like everything is changing.  In the last month:

• We became a two-cat household
• I started yoga, and make it to those classes more often than zumba
• My last child finished Kindergarten
• My oldest is officially a "tween" (according to the library's summer reading program)
• We got a new car
• We got new callings at church (Ben is leaving primary after 6 years in this ward, I'm leaving YW after 3 years, we will both be Youth Sunday School teachers)

All good stuff!  I'm not complaining!  But I think it justifies how completely exhausted I have felt recently.

My folks invited me to come to New York with them last weekend.  Ben offered to keep the kids at home, and the Masons came over to help out with them.  It felt so strange not to have little kids to manage and extra items in my luggage to care for them.

It was a fantastic trip!  Tons of great shopping and experiences.  We saw Tootsie and Hadestown on Broadway.  We saw the Camp costume exhibit at the Met and I got some extra time in the European halls (I'm usually dead-tired by the time I get up there, so I went straight there this time.)  We ate a ton of great food - so many delicious pastries!  We visited two unique yarn shops and I had to borrow an extra bag to get all my yarn home.  There were a few street festivals too.  Here's some pictures from the trip:

I feel like my days are nonstop since...early May?  Today I packed it full: yoga class in the AM, then a quick change before selling my car.  Sniff!  Sad to see my Versa go, but after driving my van for a week the Versa seemed so small cramped!  I felt like Alice, suddenly too large for her house.  I went down to Carmax and they offered me a fair trade, and got it all done in an hour's time.  I had just enough time to scarf down lunch before taking the kids to the library for a special show.

As part of their Summer Reading events, we saw Magic Rob!  I registered the kids a while ago, figuring magic was a slam dunk way to spend Friday afternoon in June.  Jack was excited by Sam dug in his heels.  He loosened up when I allowed him to bring some blocks in a fanny pack "for my entertainment."  After less than two minutes Sam had forgotten his blocks.  He even shot up his hand to volunteer (along with most every other kid, neither of my boys got a turn to help).  I did not expect the magician to be a version of Chris Farley for kids, but the kids were rolling on the floor with laughter.  After the show, during the meet-and-greet with Presto the bunny, I embarrassed Jack by telling Rob that Jack is an aspiring magician too.   Rob was genuinely excited to hear about that and pulled Jack aside to ask him about his tricks and to give him a trick coloring book to take home.  Jack was glowing with pride.  Pictures and video of the show are below.

The Golden library where we saw the show is right along Clear Creek, so the boys waded a little bit.  They were shocked how cold the water was.  It's snow-melt, guys!

Home in the afternoon gave me a chance to sit down and do my billing work for a while, plying the kids with backyard hammock-time and popsicles.  Then Ben and I blitzed through the house cleaning.  A brief but intense summer storm had me running to shut windows, and we lost power for a few seconds.  After the storm lifted I went to the bank to deposit my car check and get McDonald's for the boys.  Ben and I enjoyed Indian take-out with his friends.  We hosted Gloomhaven at our house tonight.  Between serving and cleaning up the kids, helping set up their movie, and baths later in the night, I had a few moments to myself to eat samosas and watch some youtube.  I'm ready for a slower weekend tomorrow!  Just a birthday party at lunch and an Alamo movie with the fam on the schedule.

Learning to read and write is hard.  Sam made great strides during Kindergarten.  I'm trying to keep his brain in the game with reading and writing over summer break.  There are two letters he didn't master in reading.  He complained yesterday that he was still frustrated by identifying b and d.  Whenever a word starts with one of those letters he pauses, hesitant to sound it out, because he's not sure which sound to make.

I did some research to see if there was a good trick to help kids remember the difference.  I found this great idea and, as I suspected, Sam took to it with gusto after lunch.

Focus on which part comes first, the line or the circle.  For b the line, or "bar" is first.  For d the circle, or "donut" is first.

Now replace those with a Twix bar and a chocolate donut and suddenly the kids are eager to form d's and b's - d starts with a donut, b starts with a bar.

Even the third grade grad was excited to practice his b's and d's.

The memory device seems to actually work.  Sam wrote "sudway," noticed his error, and changed it to "subway" without me pointing it out!

They were engrossed with writing until Freddy started toying with my flower.  Not even chocolate can compete with a prancing kitty.

I decided to break-in the minivan with a quick trip to Grand Junction.  The van served us well.  Comfortable drive, good gas mileage, and fun movie watching (until the kids got too nauseated).

We had a great time, visiting mostly with Waterhouses, and Saturday morning with the Masons.  I got to help out at the soup kitchen with my folks.  It was a chilly weekend, so the boys couldn't jump into the pool immediately.  By Sunday it warmed up enough and they spent a good chunk of the day being fishes.

We had a picnic on the Monument and were excited to see a whole herd of bighorn sheep gathered there.  We went yarn shopping (my parents are enablers ;-) and Lego shopping. We got the telescope out to see Jupiter and her moons.  And more swimming :-)  These pictures are exactly in order, but I think you get the gist.  It was a great summer indulgence!

Hmmm. My morning's to do list has some unforeseen addendums.

Jack's summer has been focused on mythology.  He devoured the Percy Jackson series in the first two weeks of summer break, then set upon all its companion books, as well as other mythology series by Riordan.  While we were in GJ, he enjoyed being quizzed by our family about Greek myths.  Although Jack knew every god we could come up with, He was disappointed to find out there was a book called The Odyssey, and his knowledge from the Magic Treehouse version apparently wasn't strong enough.

Ben recently got Jack a copy of D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths to encourage his newfound interests.  This afternoon Jack bounded downstairs and proclaimed that he was ready to make up for losing the quiz on Helen of Troy.  I offered to film a video response, and he readily agreed.

Twenty years ago Ben asked me out to dinner at a Chinese buffet. Twenty years later we are still very much in love and going out to dinner as often as we reasonably can :-)

One of our summer projects was to build a patio for the cats to use outdoors, a "catio," if you will.  I thought it would be a fun and enriching way to get the kids outdoors and working this summer, create some lasting memories and get some hands-on skills.

After drafting a couple designs (reminding the kids to aim SIMPLE for this first project) we were ready to buy supplies.  This was the first of MANY trips to Home Depot this week.  Hooray for minivans fitting 10 foot poles!

It took us three days of work, refitting, getting more supplies, trying different things, waiting for paint to dry.   It took about two days for me to cut and sew the netting in place.  In fact, I gave up on giving a nice finish to the joint into the door frame, instead sloppily tacking and taping it into place.  At some point you just need to sprint to the finish!  Maybe when the weather cools I'll go back and finesse that part.

(Also, I had another back spasm in yoga class on Tuesday.  So between working on the project I was popping ibuprofen and icing my lower back.  Didn't let it deter me from accomplishing out goals!)

Saturday we declared it finished! The pet door was already present in this house, we just never used it before.  We put in a log for fun and Sam added netting scraps "for comfort."

Finally it was time to release the cats!

They LOVE IT.  It was even sprinkling rain, but they stayed out feeling the sun and the breeze for a long time.

As I write this post, they've been in the catio for 1 1/2 hours.  Freddy goes in and out but Nimbus settled down for a nap.  We take turns keeping an eye on them in case they find a way to escape or get caught in the net.

I'm glad the cats love it and have a space to get outdoors.  But I'm also proud of myself and the boys putting in all this hard work.

Another summer goal was to get Sam off the glider and onto a pedal bike. He has good balance skills, but stubbornly refused to use the pedals whenever I suggest it.

I mention this to Ben today, that getting Sam to bike was my last goal. After we finished watching Thor together, Ben took the kids out biking. He beckoned me out on my phone and I saw this:

Yay Sam! Yay Ben!

I asked Ben how he did it. He said he knocked on the door of Sam's classmate, a precocious kid who has been biking since at least age 4. The kid's enthusiasm and confidence (and maybe some intimidation) must have goaded Sam into trying. He was flying in no time!

It's finally here! The boys are starting their 2019 year of school.  Jack is in 4th grade, and Sam is in 1st grade.

Jack is excited that he has one of his best friends in class this year.  Sam is excited to have a BOY teacher! Actually, they both have male teachers this year, but Jack says it's not important to him.  They have a lot of familiar, fun classmates in each class. I'm sure it will be another great year of learning.

There's a flock of these birds cawing loudly as they dare to approach the catio. Nimbus and Freddy are absolutely riveted; still as statues but bursting with excitement.

The cats were tormented by the birds while playing in the catio this morning. They came in for lunch and then took up watch from the window.

I sent Ben a cute photo of them falling asleep together at their post:

When I looked again and hour later, I found this:

I texted Ben to see if he agreed that we had reached cat-cuddling stage. He confirmed, saying "they've been through WAR, now is time for love." Then he wrote a fitting diary entry for the occasion:

"The great corvid war of the 14th day of the parched grasses was harrowing for all involved.  As for myself, I learned to love a little more that day." -- Captain Nimbus, 1st battalion

The kids were both happy and tired at pick-up time.  They both like their teachers and classes and had minimal complaints.

 

I tried to do a little interview for you all, but I must have exhausted their capacity to think and talk on the drive home.

To be honest, today I am MOST proud of my cats. I think they made the most personal growth out of all the family today.

All their cat tension-dissolved after a two hour snuggly nap.  Like bickering characters in a rom-com twist, they were suddenly all over each other. (For the record, Nimbus made the first move.)  Too, too cute.

Ben made a Giga pudding for the kids to try.

Jack wanted to celebrate by making the cats a “cake” using a recipe he got from Highlights magazine.

No movies to see this weekend, we went out for pizza with the kids.

It's still August, but the kids have been talking about Halloween for weeks already.

But here's the thing: I love it. I love Halloween. I've already been planning my costume and Ben's too. I'll feel less lame about it when September rolls around. But I don't know if I can wait until October 1st to buy a pack of spooky orange Oreos.

A simple pattern knit with bulky weight acrylic, these only took about a week each to knit!

Jack: Sam, will you get my chrome book from my room so we can watch roller coaster videos?

Sam: Get it yourself! I'm not your bride!

Maid, I think, was the word he was searching for. We explained the mistake and then laughed together (with my inner feminist silently simmering).

Last week we finally got to try this cool playground down by Federal and Colfax.  It's called Paco Sanchez park and from the pictures I could tell it had some really unique and challenging playscapes.  In the instant I parked, Sam leapt out of the van, running for the park.  It had this cool spider-web climbing tower with a long curly slide.  There was also a huge, steep slide that Jack thoroughly enjoyed, but Sam couldn't muster the courage to go down alone.

We'll definitely have to return another day!  Perhaps with padding - Sam hurt his back with scrapes and bruises a couple times.  I think he bent off the end of the slide too fast and at a band angle.  He's a tough cookie though.

We got a couple pasties to tide off hunger long enough to visit Mile High Comics afterward.  We usually only come for Free Comic Book Day in May, but they had fun picking out a few comics to purchase.  The shop can be overwhelming but Ben seems to know his way around their stacks and stacks of comics.  They have cool models and figurines that probably make the place magical and larger than life to the kids (seems like a ramshackle warehouse to me, but it's mostly nice).

Please enjoy Sam reading Green Eggs and Ham.

At school pick-up this Monday afternoon, the boys were bursting to tell me the wonderful things they learned at school today.  I had a running description all the way home from both.

Jack replicated his science teacher's experiment for us after they had a quick snack.

 

Meanwhile, Sam excitedly told me he learned to roll his tongue and to dab.  <Facepalm>  Here he is demonstrating both skills at the same time.

Hey, most days he says insists that he learned "nothing" and denies doing any reading, writing, coloring, or numbers.  So the fact that he shared anything of his own free will is a win!

Sam turned 6 years old on Friday the 13th.  This one had a full moon, an especially spooky birthday ;-) Not really, he had a great day!  We all got up early with him at 6:30 for bacon and eggs and waffles, and to open presents.  He received his much-hyped Megatron Transformer.  We also invested in a new bike, hoping to stir his interest in biking.  He had been using a third-hand bike that didn't have hand brakes or kick stand or training wheels, all things that he wanted.  The pedals were also spiky, scraping his legs when he tried to brake by dragging his feet.  The new bike has all these features and I hope it will make him more comfortable with riding (and it's green!).

He said he had a great day at school, then spent all afternoon playing with his new toys.  Dinner was "McDonalds Happy Meal, eating it on a blanket on the floor while I watch TV" exactly as requested.  Unikitty and Team Titans Go were his viewing choices.

Saturday was his birthday party.  We have 5 friends from school come to play crafts and games, themed around monsters.  Amanda came over to help me assemble monster-themed treats for the kids, and I think we pulled off some great creations!

The Big Hit was the Kaiju-destruction course in the backyard.  All month I have been collecting boxes, even making the rounds at the grocery store begging for discard boxes.  We set these up in towers for the kids to crash while running from Godzilla.  They snuck up to the Godzilla "nest" and stole a monster egg, the ran back through the towers to safety where they could smash open their eggs for candy.  Once everyone had a turn, the repeated building and crashing towers until I called them in for another game.  Later they went back out build enormous forts using the boxes.

Many smiles and much laughter from all the kids tell me it was a pretty good party.

Just a note to show some things we have done.

Sam continues to work on his reading skills. We love the Pig the Pug books. Here is his dramatic take on the original book:

https://youtu.be/BC-xv_shr5w

 

Jack had a Webelos meeting tonight where they worked on the “Cast Iron Chef” belt loop. He prepared a gorgeous egg-in-the-hole all by himself:

I went to a special “Glow Zumba” class and it was stupid fun with all my regular zumba pals (I’m the one with yellow glasses).

The cats are cuddly and still love the catio:

Ben is working hard, but still finds time to play with the kids, help with homework, and keep me quiet company in the evening. I look forward to us seeing the Downton Abby movie this Friday.  I haven’t been to the Alamo in FIVE WEEKS - quelle horreur!

 

via GIPHY

Jack has been pestering me for ages to chaperone a field trip for his class.  Never mind that I'm the room parent, the grade coordinator for parties, the Friday Folder parent for Sam, that I come in for reading groups with both classes, and I've chaperoned several field trips in the past.  But it's been so looooooong he moans ;-)

So I was able to join the fourth graders on their trip to the Hiwan Museum in Evergreen, CO.  The museum is a collection of buildings, preserving and old pioneer homestead.  We split into smaller groups and followed our guide from house to house, pretending to be pioneers.

First we met in the kitchen to make Journey Cake. We ate it at during our picnic lunch and the kids loved it.

Then we toasted the pioneers with a sample of "Ginger Water."  This vinegar-based drink received a chorus of blechs from the kids - except the grown-ups who agreed that it grew on you, and Jack's friend Ruby, who apparently loves vinegar and happily collected everyone's rejected second sips.

Next we visited the school house.  The kids were horrified by the strict rules about cleaning and staying quiet.  They practiced reading aloud from an old reader about sheep shearing, and wrote their pioneer names on slates.

In this room they pretended to pack a wagon for their trip.

In the final house, the Mercantile store, they picked a career, got a budget, and practiced adding up their shopping list.

After lunch it was back on the bus for a squishy, bumpy ride home.  The kids loved the field trip!  I'll admit I was hoping for a little more hands-on, like wool spinning, butter churning, and candle-making.  Maybe I can find a place like that to take the family this summer. 

Sam got a new bike for his birthday and he's really loving it now.

He still needs help getting started, but then he's off like a rocket. He's been asking to go biking every day this week!

I've received such positive feedback about Sam's book performances, that I made another video.  Enjoy!

(He loves doing silly voices, sorry if you can't understand him)

The Halloween decorations are up and the leaves are turning yellow and orange. Fall is truly here!

The light drizzle and soaked ground didn't deter our cats from visiting the catio.

But they weren't happy about it and soon came in to cuddle on the couch.

It's been a busy time of year.  Lots of events at school, at church, and at home.   This is a short round-up of some things I've meant to write about but haven't gotten around to yet.

The kids are doing excellent at school.  As you have seen, Sam has become an avid reader and loves to read out loud to us. He had an annual check-up with the doctor this week and he's in tip top shape.  Very tall for his age, yet average weight.  We make 'em long and lean in this family :-)

I hosted book club and made caramel apple pie bars.  They were delicious!

I've also been volunteering for the past few months with Days for Girls.  It's a wonderful charity and I have strong feelings about women's menstruation health and acceptance.  It's been great to spend a half day sewing to help send kits overseas.

I made a quick overnight trip to Salt Lake City to celebrate my cousin Jill's wedding.  It was great fun to see all my family in Utah and see her beautiful wedding.

On a sadder note, Betty's sister, Jean Bress, passed away recently.  She had been struggling with some chronic health problems and some new complications all summer.  When treatments were no longer tolerable she made the choice to go on hospice care, and gently ended there.  It's been a sad time for the family, but we've been blessed to see the Mason family frequently as they came together to help Jean out; and hopefully we spread a little cheer with our goofy kids.

Some cold days, some warm days.  The cats are still crazy and sleepy, and the boys love when they come home to freshly baked cookies with large mugs of milk.  (They wanted pictures to show their cookie-ecstasy faces.)

Sam loves to bike.  If only it wasn't so windy this week, we'd be out practicing!  Earlier this fall he biked all the way to Bridgeside park and back!

Not pictured, the musical with Amanda and Becca is ramping up.  It's going to be Rock of Ages: Middle School Edition.  We held a workshop where I taught the audition dance.  I love getting into the school and seeing the kids' enthusiasm.  It should be a fun one this year!

Tradition continues.  This year Jack got super excited for the waffles.  As soon as snow was in the forecast he started asking if I had started the waffles.  I ended up making a double batch and they were delicious, as usual.

The cats didn't let snow deter them from visiting the catio.  Freddy seemed confused by the snow, and thought jumping up on the shelf would get him out of this cold wet stuff.  He was shocked to find snow up there as well :-)

Halloween is coming!

Well, for us the spooky season starts on October 1.  So it's been a month-long HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL.  We got dem decorations, advent calendar, and lots of parties to attend.

This year the cub scout AND church trunk-or-treat parties were planned for weekend TWO WHOLE WEEKS before Halloween.  So I was strict about the kids locking in their costume ideas by October 1st.  Since I often end up hand-crafting a lot of the costumes I needed to get started early.

That's why Ben and I are a couple, and the kids are a couple.  We adults picked ours in August, so I had already started buying pieces.  Jack had decided on his costume in October of LAST year and, surprisingly, never changed his mind.  Somehow he convinced Sam to be his partner and Sam commited too.  Dang it, I would have made all four of us match if I had known their plans earlier!  Oh well.  Behold!

Jack is Jack Skellington and Sam is his dog, Zero.  Jack's costume is store-bought, with a modified mask, separate gloves, and a rib bone that he painted so he can pull it out to toss to Zero, as seen in the movie.  Sam's costume is entirely handmade by me.  I was most nervous about the headpiece.  I couldn't find any tutorials I liked, so I improvised the whole thing.  It's a paper-mache and cardboard mask built on a baseball hat, covered in fabric, with poseable wire-framed ears.  The nose piece was a 3D printed pumpkin I made last year which just happened to be the perfect size!

Ben and I are obscure characters from The Lord of the Rings.  They didn't even make it into the movie version.  Only two people we know have correctly identified us.  We are Tom Bombadil and his companion Goldberry!

(Jack took these pictures, so this is the best I have.  Most are blurry and have Sam dabbing in the corner ;-)

For our trunk I made a dragon's lair.  There's a bony dragon head that breathes smoke (I funneled in dry ice smoke from elsewhere in the car via a hose.).  There was gold and gems and armor and twinkling red and gold lights.  Best of all, I found some great ambient sounds on youtube that I downloaded.  Nearly every kid paused and stared at the great beast.

I took a short video that sort of gives you a taste of  the final set-up:

It worked great on the first night, but I had a lot of technical problems the second party, including with strong wind blowing away the smoke.  It still garnered some oohs and ahhs (the church party trunk standard is much lower than the scout party).

The second party was sort of a bust due to the aforementioned wind, and our tardiness.  I had the audition workshop that afternoon and didn't have enough time to properly do dinner and get everyone out the door calmly.  This is just to say that I don't have any pictures from that night.  Here's the whole scout group:

I'm sure I'll have more pictures to share once Halloween is ACTUALLY here ;-)

For Fall Break this year we decided to take a road trip!  Get ready for a LOT of pictures.

DAY 1

Our first stop was Manitou Springs.  Ben had the kids try the local mineral water.  It was not well received.

We were too early for the arcade and most shops, but it was fun looking in the windows.  We also got some crepes to stave off hunger for the morning.

Day 1 Adventure was to tour the Cave of the Winds!  This was the first cave for the boys.  Ben was unimpressed, compared to others he has seen.  But I enjoyed it quite a bit and I think the kids did too (though Sam was "done" when we still had 20 minutes left).

Phone camera pictures were unsurprisingly terrible (my attempt with a flash above).  So I splurged and bought the staged photo they make everyone take on the way inside.

We drove on for the rest of the day, mostly stopping for bathroom breaks.  In Trinidad we stretched our legs at the local library before getting pizza dinner.

After we passed the New Mexico border, after the sun finished setting, we pulled off the highway onto a dirt road and drove out a quarter mile.  Just far enough to stargaze.  The boys were impressed with the Milky Way, not ever really seeing it where we live.  They were astounded by the depth and multitude of stars.  We identified Scopio and the Big Dipper, Jupiter, and the North Star.  We would have researched and looked longer but it was SUPER cold and we were ready to sleep in Santa Fe.  Onward!

DAY 2

Our Big Adventure for Day 2, Meow Wolf, had tickets at 11:00.  Until then we wandered around the Plaza of Santa Fe.  The kids were not too into the historical sites or the art galleries that ring the plaza.  But they got a good sense of the local adobe architecture and I helped them tour the cathedral, getting a basic understanding of cathedral beauty.  Then we went to the local Railway Park to let Sam run in circles.  He was so AMPED for Meow Wolf.  (On the other end of the spectrum, Jack was cold and bored and Ben was fighting off a virus that had attacked last night).

Finally it was time for MEOW WOLF!

What is Meow Wolf? "An immersive environment that is part haunted house, part choose-your-own-adventure, and part jungle gym."

My pictures are very blurry, it was mostly dim and I was literally chasing Sam through most of the rooms.  At the start I quickly decided I should split off with Sam so he could frantically explore at his own pace, while Ben and Jack could experience it more slowly.  Later, as Ben's flu took him out, I went out with both kids, letting them take turns being the leader.

It's probably best to look at the website for better images and videos, but I have mine here to show us actually there :-)  It was really incredible.  I can see why adults go slow (and stoned) and take a long time exploring.  They have hidden stories, puzzles, and clues for guests to work out during return visits.  But with my crazy dudes we took a whirlwind approach, probably covering all 70 rooms in under 2 hours.

After Meow Wolf we took Ben back to the hotel to rest.  Over lunch I polled the boys how to spend the rest of the day.  Jack and I wanted to see the Puye cliff dwellings, but Sam was strongly opposed to the trip.  If Ben had been there we would have forced him, but I wasn't up for the long drive and battle of wills all by myself (I had hardly slept the night before, and was running on fumes all day).  So instead we went to see a movie, Abominable, at the local theater.  Abominable was actually really good!  I assumed it was another trashy kids movie.  Instead I was pleased to find it was clever and patient and well written.  The kids both loved it and have been quoting it ever since.

We got sandwiches to eat back at the hotel and were all ready for an early bedtime.

DAY 3

Happily we woke mostly refreshed Sunday morning.  Ben and I were both capable of driving (I wasn't sure if I was getting sick or just exhausted the night before - turns out to be just exhaustion).  The kids had a final hotel morning of cartoons + continental breakfast, then we hit the road.

Instead of coming down I-25, we looped the trip using back highways.  This allowed us to see such sites as Cano's Castle:

And the Big Adventure for Day 3: The Colorado Gators Reptile Park!

Ok, I guffawed during our trip-planning when Ben suggested this place.  But it was super cool.  It was that kind of old-fashioned place, run down, scrapped together, and has faith that its visitors will use their common sense.  After several hand-painted signs reminding you that this is a dangerous place, you are told to watch your step around the "tortoise fences."  Puzzled, we quickly discovered these fences are planks set on their edges around the property to keep the roaming tortoises in their place.

The boys knew I was super squeamish about reptiles.  Snakes especially, but I'm not thrilled about gators either.  They didn't push me, I was brave on my own.  It was so so so so icky, but I did it!

The boys got a certificate of bravery (MY name should have been on it!).  To make it official, they have the beast notarize the certificate with his teeth.

High on adrenaline, we explored the remaining displays.

Ben was chatting with the parrot, when his foot got stepped on!

The reserve is built on hot springs.  Initially this was built as a fish farm.  They brought in some gators to eat the dead fish, and the gators did so well, they expanded to taking in illegal pets, or other unusual origins.  The also sell plants grown in the green house, which help filter the water.  I was tempted to take home a fig tree, but I'm sure I would have killed it.

There were many bold emus.  They came right up to the fence looking ready to bite if our kids got too close.

 

 

After the Reptile Park we pushed north to Buena Vista for lunch, then over Kenosha pass to Denver.  It was strange driving by Amanda's old school, coming from the backside.

There was a snowstorm coming to town and we got home just as it was getting started.  Some blowing snow on the road through Conifer, but not too much trouble.

And that's the end of our trip!  The cats missed us (as much as we can tell).  We had today (Monday) off of school as well.  It's been nice to sleep in during the morning snow and take it slow, putting the house back in order.

I think everyone had a pretty great trip.  It's too bad Ben had to deal with the flu while we were there, this trip was really his baby.  But he was able to do most everything we planned and have a quiet day at home recovering today.

I hope the snow is mild tonight so Sam can go on his class field trip tomorrow.  Wednesday looks like another blizzard and I expect a delay or closure for school.  Either way, we can plan on a cold, snowy Halloween on Thursday.  I'm glad I got long johns for both kids to wear under their costumes!  October is a strange weather monster in Colorado.

We had a traditional Halloween and it was as fun as could be.  I'll put up pictures later, for now enjoy Jack being Jack Skellington on the keys:

I've always stayed home to be warm and greet the trick-or-treaters.  This year it was so cold, I followed them in the van.  The kids were able to hop inside and warm up occasionally, and we explored a bit farther than usual.

 

Happy Halloween!

Ben shared this conversation that he had with Sam on the way to his ninja gymnastics class.

The school has a new initiative to celebrate academic and behavioral success to spur more positive behavior.  It was no surprise to me that Jack won an academic award for his classwork.  I was on the invitation list to see my child be honored.

Atta boy!

This year the PTA organized a Readathon for the fall fundraiser.  Jack is an avid reader, and Sam is quickly catching up to him, so it was no surprise to me that they would do well with a contest based on reading.  They were dedicated to their goals.

But then they both won the Top Reader spot in their respective grades, for the most minutes read over the 10 day contest.  Betty and Rick were in town and able to attend the assembly where the winners were revealed. (Picture of Sam below)

They both won a limo ride to a local pizzeria for lunch with friends.

But beyond that, Jack won Top Reader for the WHOLE school!  I was so impressed!  He actually won a great prize for it too - a family zoo pass!

So this past Saturday we celebrated their wins with a trip downtown.

We can go to the zoo for free anytime for a year now.  I loved this fundraiser, and not just because my kids killed it.  I hate when they have the kids "sell" something and the school has to kick back a ton to the corporations that run them.  Apparently we were not the only parents who felt this way, because it was a rousing success.   The fundraiser promoted academic growth, the school got 100% of the profits, and they said they earned so much for it, they won't need to do any other fundraising this year!

The kids had the whole week off for Thanksgiving, like usual.  With a snow storm coming, I decided to come over super early on Sunday to visit.  It was great to have many relaxing days on vacation.  The boys got the play with the Mason grandparents during the day.  Amanda and I had lunch with our parents.  I even squeezed in a couple zumba classes at the local gym.  Ben joined us on Wednesday via bus.

We had an amazing Thanksgiving spread with far too much food.  Everything was delectable and I came home with generous leftovers.  On Friday the Waterhouses went to a pottery painting studio and got creative juices flowing.  In the evening we saw Frozen II together.  It was a wonderful holiday time with family!

 

We came home and launched into Christmas mode.  Thanksgiving was so late this year!

Freddy has a basket:

He likes to be in a high position in the kitchen - close to the food smells and the people.  I installed a basket on the counter to try to keep his fur and feet restrained to one spot, rather than roaming over the whole counter.  It works well and he spends most of his naps there.

Nimbus is more free range with her napping locations.  Unless I have an electric blanket on me.  She purrs so loudly when she's sharing it with me.

Tonight we were dining on baked potatoes and Freddy was prowling about hoping to sneak a bit of bacon.  While his focus was on the table, we spied Nimbus slowly settling into Freddy's basket.  The kids howled with laughter, we knew this was going to cause trouble.

Shortly after, Freddy noticed the egregious invasion and was MAD.

But Nimbus was not about to yield to this plebeian.  We had a full-on battle, pitting claims of Territory against Dominance.

They ran to the living room to finish wrestling.  I'm not sure who they think won the battle.  The basket was abandoned.  Thirty minutes later, as I was leaving for book club, I walked by this scene:

Hmm.  No one looks happy.  Perhaps this was the first skirmish of a long war.

It's been a Christmas-sy weekend!  Friday the kids were off school except for a brief scheduled assessment.  So it was a lazy kind of day.  In the evening Jack brought a friend to the ward Christmas party.  It was nice to get out and chat with people and enjoy some Christmas music.  They had a few small instrumental performances and had the kids sing "Stars Were Gleaming" - much to Jack's embarrassment, since his friend got to watch him sing.  :-)

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Today we decided to take an adventure downtown for some Christmas cheer.  For extra fun, we took the light rail train.  It was a dreary gray day, but I mostly stayed warm.

Visited the Giving Machine at Writer Square.  

Not pictured, they each picked out treat at Rocket Fizz. Sam took a sour apple Blow-Pop, Jack took a Chocolate Frog.

I spent in the afternoon in a bustle getting groceries and picking up Christmas cards and a popcorn tin.  Then I baked cupcakes for my Sunday school class and did laundry while watching Nutcracker.  We had a lovely brief snow, but no build-up on the ground.  To finish the evening we watched Home Alone 2.  The kids were howling with laughter and declared it just as good as the original.

Earlier this month I got to come into Sam's class and teach the whole first grade about Christmas in Germany, as part of their "Holidays Around the World" unit.  I did this for Jack's class when he was in first grade, you can see the pictures from that here.

This time I didn't document nearly as well, so all I have is this picture that the teacher took.  Sam is the one picking his nose.

I brought in most of the same things - clothes, pictures, decorations, and a slide show with pictures and facts.

Then I served some German treats, this time I made stollen and lebkuchen.  A lot of the kids loved it and asked for seconds and thirds!

Like last time, I had the kids make a special message for my German pen pal:

Steffi and I have been excitedly emailing all month about the busy-ness of being a mom during Christmastime.   Her kids loved the video, and in return she sent a few back.  I stitched them together into one movie and added subtitles.

Tomorrow the teachers are going to share it with the first graders, to show that their message went all the way around the world!

Okay, it's actually Tuesday.

Either way, Freddy was Garfielding hard for this lasagne.

(I have a cold this week. Please don't judge me for serving Stouffer's.)